SD22 fuel filter(s)

[millican]

I've read some of the threads on this and learned a little bit. The fuel filter O'Reilly's sold me looks like the pre-filter on some trucks. I do have the regular filter that the manual describes and didn't know that was the filter until I read about it. I thought this big round shiny thing was the filter. Supposedly it has something inside that looks like a toilet paper roll. I'd prefer to open it when I have a replacement for it. That's the problem. I can't find one. The company on the label has no internet presence. The phone number on the part for the company isn't a working number. Can I just replace this big canister with the little plastic pre-filter from O'Reilly's and replace the screw on filter and call it good? If someone knows where to find a replacement for the "Willie's Filter", I'd like to know that.

 

Here is the canister that I believe is being used for fuel filtration. It does leak around the clamp, which is a bit annoying.

 

I've made two trips between Arkansas and Arizona in this as well as a trip to Colorado since buying this earlier this summer. I'd like to clean the fuel system out since I have no idea when that was last done. The previous owner just kept the truck on the farm because his 11-year old grand-daughter liked to drive it around the countryside. It seems that he wasn't interested in maintaining it since he didn't drive it, but just letting it keep going 'til it couldn't anymore. I need to buy some shop rags and degreaser soon too!

[wayno]

I have never seen a big filter like that before, but anything that filters the fuel before the main filter is good in my opinion.

I just use small pre-filters like you see on gas engines, it has worked well for me, your main fuel filter is the one in the back that has the 4 hoses connected to it.

Are you positive that it is a fuel filter, and not a remote oil filter?

[millican]

I'll find out for sure tomorrow when I take it off and look inside.

[wayno]

I'll find out for sure tomorrow when I take it off and look inside.

What you need to do is look where the hoses go underneath that filter, if they both go to the side of the engine behind the injection pump, then it is likely a remote oilfilter, if a hose comes up from the frame to the filter, then the other hose goes to the lower side of the injection pump, then it is likely a fuel pre-filter, I would not remove anything till you know what it is.

[millican]

Good call. I had assumed it wasn't oil since I had the oil changed not too long ago, and they changed the filter. It does go to the oil pan. As old as it is, I can't help but think that it should be replaced at some point.

Looking around underneath, I noticed a hose about 2 inches long coming from the bottom of the injection pump. There's no mention of its purpose in the manual.

There was a mixture of fluids in the fuel filter when I unscrewed it. The wire from the bottom was also broken or cut. I should see what's in the fuel tank!

[millican]

That wasn't the injection pump with the short hose.

[wayno]

Where exactly do the hoses go from the bottom of that filter housing?

[millican]

One line goes to the oil pan. I didn't trace the other one after seeing that it's not a fuel filter. I hope to get a fuel filter Monday. With a mason jar where the primary filter goes and hand pumping, I got a good bit of water (and grass!) out before getting diesel. The tank can't be drained well. It's pretty bashed in with the drain plug pretty high up in the tank. I had run it pretty low on "fuel" driving back from Colorado and had a few problems with it. Currently, it turns over great, but doesn't start. I'd like to find a replacement tank that's not bashed in so badly. I probably lose a couple of gallons capacity with the current one. I guess this also means that there is no pre-filter on it since the big canister is an oil filter.

[wayno]

Do you have a oil filter in this spot?

See where the oil filter(light blue) is on this engine.

I have never heard of an oil filter emptying into the oilpan, a remote oil filter should have two hoses that come from where the oil filter is supposed to be to the bottom of the remote filter, which is usually mounted upside down, but yours, if that is what it is, is mounted differently, which quite likely makes no difference.

You need to find the line that feeds your fuel pump on the side of the injection pump below the primer and follow it backwards towards the fuel tank line connected to the frame and find any pre-filters and replace them, it could be back by the tank also, and some have none, but I always put one in myself.

Did the engine run, if it did and you run it out of fuel, it can be a bitch to get going again, as you have to fill everything up before it will even try, did the engine run?

[millican]

Your engine bay is so much cleaner than mine.

There is a new blue oil filter where you indicated. I think this is just an extra one added by the previous owner.

It was running. After driving it back from Colorado, it sat for several days before I tried to start it again. I'll buy some more diesel with a fuel can today for it and order a fuel filter.

[wayno]

This is the fuel filter itself, it's blue in this photo.

Fuel filter and what it connects to.

This is the top of the fuel filter mount housing with all the bango fittings and such, you have one of these.

Mine is in the left bottom corner of this photo below.

Yours is in the same place as mine, it's between the wiper motor and the windshield washer bottle in the photo below.

If you ran it out of fuel, you will need to fill the fuel filter up with diesel, whenever you change the fuel filter, you fill in up with diesel first, then you spin it on, then you start to prime the engine with the primer pump.

In the photo below will will see a plastic cover over the primer pump, some have this cover, some do not, see the hose/fitting coming out the bottom, that is where the fuel enters the pump..

Here is another angle of the primer without the plastic cover, see the hose coming out the bottom with the filter, that is where I put the prefilter on this truck

Here is another photo of the injection pump itself below, see the primer on the right, you twist the top like your unscrewing a bolt, it will pop up when unscrewed because of the spring, you then will have to pump this primer for quite a while, you can also see the fitting at the bottom of the pump, that is where the fuel hose/line goes from the tank, I always put a pre-filter in-line before that fitting like in the photo above.

Unfortunately you may have one more issue, you need to understand how this system works, you see when you turn off the key, it cuts the fuel off and the engine dies because it has no fuel, well that very thing also stops you from being able to prime the system, if you look in the photo below, on the left there is a spring on the injection pump arm, below that spring there is another shaft that a rod is connected to that goes down to the injection pump controller, you might need to disconnect that rod from the injection pump so it is in the run position, that way the whole injection pump can be primed, I would try to prime and start it without removing the arm first, but you might have to remove it.

Running these engines out of fuel is a real pain in the ass, you do not want to run it out, as it is very hard on the starter, you cannot keep turning it over for undetermined amounts of time, it will get very hot and ruin it, and they are hard to find, and expensive.

I had a fuel hose crack on me while driving down the road, it emptied the fuel filter before I realized it, it took me an hour to get that damned thing to run right, and I knew what I was doing, the engine/injection pump kept running out of fuel before the fuel filter could fill back up.

[millican]

After disconnecting that arm, it started right up.

I drove it to fill up the tank and popped the hood and moved the lever to shut it off. I don't think that actuator is working. It was disconnected before it was parked last, but it started and shut off fine after it was reconnected. I checked and saw that it doesn't move when the key is turned to run or off. I'm fine with popping the hood to shut it off for now, but I'll need to fix that soon. I'm wondering if there wasn't an electronic valve installed previously that has gone out.

[wayno]

After disconnecting that arm, it started right up.

I drove it to fill up the tank and popped the hood and moved the lever to shut it off. I don't think that actuator is working. It was disconnected before it was parked last, but it started and shut off fine after it was reconnected. I checked and saw that it doesn't move when the key is turned to run or off. I'm fine with popping the hood to shut it off for now, but I'll need to fix that soon. I'm wondering if there wasn't an electronic valve installed previously that has gone out.

 

OK, then try plugging and unplugging the plug going to that controller while the key is on, see if it starts working, that is a common issue with these trucks.

It will not move when you turn the key on and off, it only moves when the engine is being started, it rotates to the start position, when you let off the starter, it then moves to the run position, and then when you turn it off, it rotates to the off position, just turn the key on and unplug it and plug it back in.

These injection pumps do not have that electronic valve you are talking about, only the VE type injection pumps have that valve, like the one I have in this photo below, see how my lines come from in back of the injection pump near the oil filter instead of the way yours come out from the top of the pump.

[wayno]

BTW, if your tank is pushed up on the bottom, I would find another tank, there is some talk that a gas tank should not be used for a diesel fuel, I cannot tell you if I am using a gas or diesel yank in my rigs, I just use what looks good, but if you are worried, you can buy tank liners that will line the tank, so that the diesel fuel will not dissolve the galvanized metal coating inside the tanks, but I would definitely find a good tank.

Kingcab tanks are all the same shape and likely can be used on any 720 truck, but non kingcab tanks are different, so if you have a kingcab, you need a kingcab tank. 

[millican]

It didn't move a bit when it was unplugged and plugged back in with the key in the run position. So it also has a start position? That could explain the difficulty starting without the block heater plugged in. What is that thing called at the lower end of the arm?

[wayno]

It didn't move a bit when it was unplugged and plugged back in with the key in the run position. So it also has a start position? That could explain the difficulty starting without the block heater plugged in. What is that thing called at the lower end of the arm?

 

It's called an injection pump controller, although it is not working for you, that doesn't mean it is bad, make sure it is not jammed on something, you also should check the plug on the DPC module plug, and make sure all your fuses are good, a fuse can screw a lot up.